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Monday August 14

Apple has released the sixth watchOS 4 developer beta for testing on all Apple Watch models. watchOS 4 brings new watch faces including Siri and Toy Story options, enhanced Music and Workout experiences, Apple News, person to person payments and Apple Pay Cash, and more.

It’s been one week since the last developer beta, and Apple has just released the sixth developer beta preview. iOS 11 brings new features like drag-and-drop and a redesigned multitasking interface for iPad, a new customizable Control Center, and much more.

Google has had a rather busy day so far with releasing new features and testing others before they’re ready for prime time, including updates to Google Calendar, the company’s Voice Search API, and the YouTube app.

Sony Electronics has announced its XAV-AX200 and MEX-GS820BT in-car audio systems, which sport support for Apple’s CarPlay. Both will be available by year’s end, but pricing hasn’t been announced.

Compatible with iPhone 5 and later models, CarPlay provides a simplified way to use your iPhone interface on a car’s touch screen, giving users access to Siri voice controls, as well as Apple Maps, Apple Music, Phone, Messages, and a variety of third party apps. The tech takes the things you want to do with your iPhone while driving and puts them on your car’s built-in display. You can get directions, make calls, send and receive messages, and listen to music, all in a way that allows you to stay focused on the road.

As an enhancement to the XAV-AX100 receiver, the XAV-AX200 DVD receiver offers the latest technology to make the most out of long car journeys, while the MEX-GS820BT works as a high power in-car receiver.

Apple says that vendors have products in the pipeline that will use its Smart Connector technology that debuted with the iPad Pro, reports Fast Company.

In fact, only four accessories support it: Apple’s Smart Keyboard and two keyboards and a docking station made by Logitech. Accessory makers told Fast Company that use of the Smart Connector have been slow because of wait times, high costs for Smart Connector components, and because praised Bluetooth is a better fit, at least for iPad keyboards. However, Apple tells the publication that “multiple companies” are now developing Smart Connector accessories.

The Smart Connector transfers data and power between iPad Pro and compatible accessories. No batteries or charging is required. For instance, when youattach a compatible keyboard, you can immediately start typing. When you...

China's Guizhou province, where Apple has set up its first data center in the country, plans to create a working committee chaired by communist party members to oversee the tech giant’s iCloud facility, reports Reuters. The Guizhou government says on its website (www.gzgov.gov.cn) that the iCloud working committee would be made up of around 10 members, such as Guizhou's Executive Vice Governor Qin Rupei, Deputy Secretary-general Ma Ningyu and other officials.

China has begun policing (some would say censoring) the Internet more closely and introduced a new cyber security law on June 1 that imposes tougher controls over data than in Europe and the U.S., including...

Plex is partnering with AppleInsider this week to give readers the chance to win a cord-cutting package complete with a lifetime Plex Pass, HDHomerun Connect Tuner and Mohu Leaf 50 Antenna. In addition to the grand prize, four lifetime Plex Passes are up for grabs.

In a note to clients — as reported by CNBC — Bernstein analyst A.M. Sacconaghi Jr. says Google will pay Apple $3 billion this year to remain the default search engine on iPhones and iPads. Google paid Apple $1B billion for the privilege in 2014.

The Google licensing payments are mostly profit for Apple. Bernstein estimates the payments could account for up to 5% of Apple’s operating profits in 2017.

The analyst adds that Apple’s products account for about half of Google’s mobile search revenues. However, he adds, that in the future, Google might choose to stop the payments if it was fairly certain that Apple would continue to include its search engine on iOS devices based purely on customer demand.

In 2010, Patrick and John Collison, brothers from rural Ireland, began to debug this process. Their company, Stripe Inc., built software that businesses could plug into websites and apps to instantly connect with credit card and banking systems and receive payments. The product was a hit with Silicon Valley startups. Businesses such as Lyft, Facebook, DoorDash, and thousands that aspired to be like them turned Stripe into the financial backbone of their operations.

This is a great read. They have done exceptionally well in a cut-throat business.

Inventec Appliances says it will start shipping Apple’s HomePod smart speaker late this year, which matches Apple’s December launch date.

In a note to clients, Fubon Securities analyst Arthur Liao predicts the Apple supplier will ship 500,000 units of HomePod in 2017 and that the late-launching device will contribute less than 1% of the company’s revenues. Next year, the company will reportedly have to split HomePod orders with Hon Hai Precision Industry or Foxconn, likely due to Apple’s dislike for relying on one supplier.

Apple’s HomePod is expected to go on sale in December and cost $349. The device is just under seven inches tall and looks like a piece of...

There’s a lot of excitement these days about the new APFS filesystem coming from Apple. I’m certainly excited about it; some of the promised features sound great. However, I’m going to make a bold suggestion: Don’t convert your production startup disk to APFS this Fall. Wait for the new filesystem to get some more mileage before making the switch. HFS+ is still a supported configuration for High Sierra, and sticking with the tried-and-true filesystem may save a lot of headaches and wasted time.

Mike is the founder of Bombich Software, the makers of Carbon Copy Cloner, so he knows a lot about file systems.

A recent conversation with manufacturers mostly points the finger at Apple for slow rollout of Smart Connector peripherals, but Apple itself says that vendors have products in the pipeline using the technology.

A new report outtodayindicates that the Apple HomePod will likely be limited in quantity when it begins shipping out in the fourth quarter of this year. Inventec Appliances, which is also responsible for manufacturing AirPods, is expected to start with a limited shipment of HomePods that increases into the next year.

At BlackPods, we’ve developed a proprietary coating system specifically for Apple’s AirPods. Our three-phase finishing procedure utilizes the latest in solvent-based painting technology to yield a luxurious finish that exceeds U.S. Military specifications. Every pair of customized AirPods we produce is hand-finished by a team of skilled artisans. Whether you purchase them through us or send yours in, each pair of AirPods is subjected to a rigorous visual and quality inspection.

BlackPods sells their AirPods in two colors: BlackPods Classic (high-gloss black), and BlackPods Stealth (matte black). BlackPods Classic are available for $279, and BlackPods Stealth are available for $299. Both finishes include free domestic shipping. BlackPods also allows its customers to mail in their own AirPods for customization– $99 for high-gloss black and $119 for matte black.

China's Guizhou province is setting up a working committee specifically to oversee Apple's new data center in the region, which was established to comply with cybersecurity laws that went into effect earlier this year.

If you’re bringing a child to start school at Cornell University this week, we’d love it if you could join us at a meetup for TidBITS readers.

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

One of the problems of being a keen photographer is that it’s easy to slip into a mode where you treat every photograph as if it were a professional assignment. You can end up carrying around a lot of kit, and then spending a lot of time editing photos.

I now make a conscious effort to decide my objective in advance. Is it artistic – where the kit and the time will be justified by the result – or am I simply seeking to capture a memory of an event, aka a snapshot?

Even for proper photography, I rarely carry a DSLR these days: my trusty Sony a6300 copes with most things. But when I’m just after a snapshot, I try to keep things simple …

While Apple touted the iPad Pro’s Smart Connector as a valuable new port for charging and linking accessories, so far only Apple itself and its close collaborator Logitech have produced anything to make use of it, Fast Company reports. While Apple has confirmed “multiple companies are now developing Smart Connector accessories,” those in the industry are looking at a daunting task when examining the market advantage Logitech has…

Canary already makes one of the best iOS-controlled smart home security cameras on the market, and the latest app update brings new features including two-way audio communication and improved live streaming. Canary has also introduced a new web app for viewing your live feed online.

EVERY TIME I get in my car and plug in my iPhone, the same exact song plays: “All of Me” by John Legend. But not the John Legend version, which would be much less embarrassing. No, the very first alphabetically sorted song in my Apple Music library is a cover of “All of Me” by the Dartmouth a cappella group The Dartmouth Aires. It’s not that I hate the song, or this version. It’s that I’ve heard the first 15 seconds of the song approximately 438 million times, blaring through my speakers as I open Spotify or Pocket Casts and play something I actually want.

Every iPhone user has a song like this.

And:

I could go on a whole bender here, ranting about how my phone should know what I want to listen to when I get into the car (probably whatever I was listening to five seconds before I got into the car!) and how annoying it is that the phone instead just plays the song in my library in the alphabetical pole position.

In the case of the iPad, you might be able to transfer your plan from the old tablet to the new one right in the settings, without having to fuss around with the hardware.

After you have gone through Apple’s sequence of steps for setting up a new iPad out of the box, tap open the Settings app on the home screen. On the Settings screen, choose Cellular Data on the left side and Set Up Cellular Data on the right. If your previous iPad uses a compatible SIM (subscriber identity module), you should see an option to transfer your existing plan over to the new iPad through your wireless carrier’s network. You need to know the user name and password for your account with the carrier to complete the move and activation process.

YouTube star Danny Winget claims to have obtained dummy models of the iPhone 8 in three colors, showing the mockups off in his latest video. Winglet’s non-functional devices show the silver and copper/gold coming with white front bezels and cutouts, leaving the black as the only model with the black bezels and cutouts if Apple sticks to three colors as previously rumored. The silver has a glass back with shinier stainless steel sides, and the…

Starting off the week—or the day—with another iPhone 8 leak is pretty much the standard routine, and the latest comes in the form of a couple videos claiming to show the Foxconn production line where the new phones are being assembled.

Beijing’s 274 subways stations let you pay with nothing more than your smartphone — as long as it’s not an iPhone, which currently doesn’t support the technology.

On Monday, authorities began rolling out citywide promotions for the wireless function, which allows direct payment from 160 smartphone models, including those from Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Xiaomi Inc. and Samsung.

And:

But the service is unavailable for iPhone users because Apple doesn’t currently allow the required near-field communication (NFC) technology on its handsets to connect to third-party payment terminals in China, BMAC said.

And:

An upgrade to Apple’s iOS operating system due this fall will enable the latest iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models to read more third-party NFC devices, according to company information released at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.

A BMAC employee told Caixin that the state-run company doesn’t know for now...

So, apparently the next iPhone won’t have a physical Home button. There’s been much speculation already about what that means for the user. The bottom area of the device, for some, will be used to host the navigation bar items, as well as a virtual Home button.

This article describes another possibility.

This post does two thing:

It does a nice job of talking through the iOS 11 home button experience on the iPad, making the case that the new “swipe up from the bottom edge” reduces the need for the Home button.

Offers a nice conceptual take for the iPhone, which does not offer that bottom edge gesture, at least not as of the current iOS 11 beta.

Interesting take. I doubt we’ll see such a chance in a future beta, but perhaps some food for thought for iOS 12.

The UK has lagged some way behind the US when it comes to HomeKit devices – especially if you want things that don’t look like HomeKit devices. This is set to change in October when LightwaveRF will offer its new light switches and plug sockets.

Unlike things like Elgato Eve, which require a relatively bulky addition to a power socket, and Philips Hue switches, which supplement existing wired ones, Lightwave is offering units that can simply replace your existing fittings …

To protect your eyes when viewing the sun or an eclipse, NASA and the American Astronomical Society (AAS) advise you to use solar eclipse glasses or other solar filters from recommended manufacturers. Viewing the sun or an eclipse using any other glasses or filters could result in loss of vision or permanent blindness.

Amazon has not received confirmation from the supplier of your order that they sourced the item from a recommended manufacturer. We recommend that you DO NOT use this product to view the sun or the eclipse.

I suspect that this is about liability and on advice from Amazon’s legal...

Most cloud storage services have one common problem: you pay for them on a subscription basis, and that $2.99 a month can add up over the years. That's what's great about today's deal on Zoolz Cloud Storage. With a onetime $49.99 purchase, you can use your 2TB of storage space for as long as you're alive to use it.

Zoolz is highly rated, getting 4.5 out of 5 stars from Reviewster and named the Number 1 Best Business Cloud Storage Service by TopTenReviews. Your purchase provides these benefits:

The line of $1,399 Fusion Guitars are now available online to musicians in the U.S. Billed as "the world's most advanced electric guitar" they allow musicians to unplug, learn and create music just about anywhere.

Incorporating a built-in amp, speakers and iPhone integration for access to tones, guitar effects and apps, these next generation musical instruments feature:

An Apple iPhone and iPod dock with 24-bit/96kHz audio interface;

A full-scale high quality maple neck with the option of rosewood or maple fingerboar;

A patented floating speaker box, a feature that allows the speaker to "float" in the guitar body on rubber mounts. This design reduces the amount of vibration transmission between the guitar body and...

Take this change with a grain of salt, give the experts a chance to dig through the methodology. But no matter the ultimate resolution, this certainly gives a black eye to Microsoft’s Surface brand.

Over the weekend, I ran across this take from Ben Bajarin (it’s from a subscription-only newsletter, but Ben graciously gave me permission to repost it here):

I want to briefly comment on a consumer reports article that came out yesterday. CR officially does not recommend Microsoft Surface hardware based from their interviews and survey of 91,741 laptop and tablet owners. They claim 25% of...

Two videos published on Chinese social media depict workers polishing the enclosure of what appears to be the "iPhone 8," as well as a a rack to allow air circulation around the parts without human contact, or stacking.

A number of tech and automotive firms including Intel, Toyota, and Ericsson announced the creation of a consortium that will focus on building a “big data” ecosystem for self-driving cars. The consortium will also focus on technologies such as driver assistance and using real-time data.

Other partners in the Automotive Edge Computing Consortium (AECC) include Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo, and auto parts maker Denso. The automaker said that data traffic between vehicles and cloud servers is predicted to hit 10 exabytes per month by 2025, creating the need for “new architectures of network and computing infrastructure” to handle it.

The consortium will also “define requirements and develop use cases for emerging mobile devices with a particular focus on the automotive industry, bringing them to standards bodies, industry consortiums and solution providers.”

Last Wednesday, Intel announced plans to place more than 100 self-driving vehicles on the roads. These...

The $34.99 Satechi Smart Charging Stand lets you charge a total of four devices simultaneously, so it’s perfect for a desk/nightstand or for juicing up your Apple devices in, say, a hotel room.

Available in silver, gold, space grey and rose gold, it also docks, and showcases your Apple Watch, iPhone and other devices. The Smart Charging Stand packs one USB port inside the stand and three USB ports on its base. You can also conveniently store small items such as USB adapters and card readers inside the base, which helps prevent them from getting lost. The stand is also great for neatly tucking away cords within its base.

The Satechi Smart Charging Stand’s can charge up to 5V/2.4A Max per port for a total of six amps. Each port can automatically detects your device, allowing you to charge your Apple Watch, FitBit Blaze, and iPad, iPhone, Bose Radio or any other devices at the same time.

Free-to-play games often look appealing, but it’s difficult to know at a glance whether the business model is insidious and fun ruining, or reasonable and worth pumping a few bucks into. With Freemium Field Test, we’ll take a recent free-to-play iOS game, put it through its paces, and let you know if it’s really worth your time (and money).

There were plenty of endless arcade-style games before Crossy Road, but Hipster Whale’s game was so wildly fun, so vibrantly styled, and so pure and friendly in its freemium approach that it seemed to create a whole new genre of descendants.

Foxconn has reported July revenues of NT$315.06 billion (US$10.62 billion), up 7.53% year-on-year. Its revenue would have been even higher but strong consumer electronics income was offset by poorer performance elsewhere in the business …

Thanks to Apple’s ARKit, we know that augmented reality (AR) is coming to the iPhone and iPad. And a new Apple patent (number 20170228935) for “augmented reality based on wireless ranging” hints at the company’s long range plans for AR.

According to the invention, a wireless communication device (think iPhone) may locate a proximate object in an environment, such as an electronic device or a resource. During this communication technique, the iOS device may receive a transmission that includes an identifier associated with the object.

The iPhone may determine a range and/or a direction of the object from the wireless communication device. For example, the iOS device may determine the range and/or the direction, at least in part, using wireless ranging. Next, the device may present output information that indicates the range and/or the direction. In particular, the iPhone may display a map of a proximate area with an indicator representative of the object shown on the...

We’ve been seeing a lot of dummy models of the iPhone 8s of late. These are incredibly detailed and hard to tell from a real device, but a Dutch site now claims to have video of the real thing on the production line.

Both videos are short and very poor quality, and there appears to be good reason to doubt that claim …

Good news for Apple and its ARKit: worldwide revenues for the augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) market are forecast to increase by 100% or more over each of the next four years, according to the latest update to the Worldwide Semiannual Augmented and Virtual Reality Spending Guide from the International Data Corporation (IDC).

At this summer’s Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple introduced ARKit. It allows developers to tap into the latest computer vision technologies to build detailed virtual content on top of real-world scenes for interactive gaming, immersive shopping experiences, industrial design and more. According to IDC, total spending on AR/VR products and services is expected to soar from $11.4 billion in 2017 to nearly $215 billion 2021, achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 113.2% along the way.

On a regular basis, Apple World Today posts a list of notable new apps or app updates that have been released. They may not necessarily be new, but they're popular and deserve mention. Here are today's picks.

iOS Apps/Updates

Lozange Lab has introduced Swim Out 1.0. It’s a $1.99, strategic, turn-based puzzle game that will “transport” you to a sunny day by the swimming pool, the river or the sea, in a relaxing and refreshing atmosphere. It offers seven chapters combining 12 different types of swimmers and features over 100 levels.

macOS Apps/Updates

Maintain has served up Cocktail 10.4.2 (Sierra Edition), a new edition of Cocktail for users running macOS Sierra.

It’s a general purpose utility for macOS that lets users clean, repair and optimize their Macs. The new version adds ability to perform essential system maintenance...

London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) will soon issue body-worn video cameras to armed officers. Members of the city's Firearms Command will be required to wear them on their caps or ballistic helmets in the field. The placement differs to regul...

A new study claims to have found a huge expanse of volcanoes lurking beneath the ice in Antarctica. Scientists unearthed a total of 91 previously undiscovered volcanoes -- some stretching up to 3,850 metres (12,600 feet) in height -- in the region kn...

Sunday August 13

Disney recently turned the screws on Netflix by pulling its content and unveiling a streaming service of its own, but now the tables have turned. Netflix revealed that it has signed Shonda Rhimes away from Disney-owned ABC to a multiyear production d...

We hate to further quash hopes that the TRAPPIST-1 star system can harbor life, but... it's not looking great. Researchers have determined that the dwarf star is between 5.4 billion years old and 9.8 billion years old, or considerably older than the...

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

The most common gene editing technique, CRISPR-Cas9, only modifies DNA. That's helpful in most cases, but it means that you can't use it to tackle RNA-based diseases. Thankfully, that might not be a problem for much longer. After plenty of talk about...

HBO says it will not negotiate with the hackers who made off with 1.5 terabytes of its data. The statement contradicts the recent leaked email screenshot from the hackers, which showed the broadcaster offering a $250,000 bug bounty payment. However,...

I’m a danger to myself and others whenever I use any kind of tool and table saws in particular scare the living daylights out of me. But forcing manufacturers to use the “safe” saw technology presents its own challenges.

When I attended the last (sadly) Macworld Expo, I stressed out over the proper etiquette of bowing and exchanging business cards. I wish I had had this video back then. These kinds of Japanese customs and rules are fascinating to me.

Self-driving cars are supposed to be safer by nature, as they shouldn't make nearly as many driving errors as humans. However, Waymo might not be willing to take any chances. The Alphabet-owned company recently received a patent for technology that w...

You may have only recently discovered that Snap isn't having much luck attracting new users, but Facebook knew months before -- and there's a chance you helped it find out. The Wall Street Journal has learned just how Facebook has been using app usag...

B&H Photo is knocking $500 off Apple's Late 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro this weekend. Now $1,899 with free expedited shipping and no tax collected on orders shipped outside NY and NJ, this deal on the Touch Bar model in Space Gray provides shoppers with the lowest price available from an Apple authorized reseller. Quantities are limited.

It's... not the best time to have an Android Wear 2.0 smartwatch on your wrist. Owners are reporting bugs with the wearable software that have either persisted through or appear to be caused by recent updates. Most notably, Google Assistant is outr...

Did you buy a low-cost pair of eclipse glasses hoping to watch the August 21st solar eclipse without spending a fortune? Amazon might be reaching out to you. The company has confirmed a recent Verge report that it's "proactively" refunding purchases...

It was reported last week that the iPhone 8 will come in a new copper gold color shade, alongside white and black. Now, a post on Chinese social sharing site Weibo claims Apple’s name for the color will be “Blush Gold.”

If you're roaming the internet, you might run across recommendation engines. Some offer products or services you'd actually want to use, but does interacting with them harm your privacy even more? Researchers developed an algorithm to reveal how much...

This post was done in partnership with The Sweethome, a buyer's guide to the best homewares. When readers choose to buy The Sweethome's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that suppor...

Cool Stuff Found starts the episode, then it’s on to a few things related to backups, including how High Sierra’s APFS will affect you. Listener tips and some other, unrelated questions are answered, and then there’s a nice, juicy segment on meshifying your home without buying mesh for all of you, too. Press play and enjoy!

Hamilton fans rejoice: this generation’s most popular Broadway musical now has an iOS app. The new app “Hamilton: The Official App” allows users to enter ticket lotteries, buy merchandise, send iMessage stickers, and much more.

As the current presidential administration keeps trying its best to be America's last, let's take a moment from the existential horror of nuclear annihilation at the hands of the world's other wannabe king and see who's been killing it in tech this w...

The team has had their troubles with the Logic Gate board game, so is it time to put it out to pasture? The group meets with Hari from element14 to help determine how much it would realistically cost to bring the product to market with the compon...

Blockchain is practically tailor-made for business, and not just because it's a cornerstone of Bitcoin. Its decentralized, speedy approach to secure transactions is more convenient for tracking cargo around the world or providing digital IDs to thos...

Saturday August 12

Silicon has been the backbone of processors for decades, but it's rapidly approaching its physical limits: making a chip on a process smaller than 5 nanometers is usually impossible without introducing problems. How is Moore's Law for chip complexity...

Much of the Google Pixel's photographic prowess comes from its software -- it's particularly good at high dynamic range photos thanks to its HDR+ mode, which fills in gobs of detail while reducing the blur you sometimes see in HDR shots. But do you h...

Comedians Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson are bringing their hit podcast 2 Dope Queens to HBO. The network has announced that four one-hour 2 Dope Queens comedy specials will be airing on the network in 2018. This comes about a year and a half s...

As a rule, electric car concepts embrace the future. Even those with a retro flavor are clearly products of the 21st century. Don't tell that to Infiniti, however -- it's going deep into the past. Nissan's luxury badge has unveiled the Prototype 9, a...

HTC's U11 surprised us when we reviewed it -- most of the company's phones have been hit-or-miss for a few years now. But the U11 is a solid Android option, and HTC just announced it'll be a little more future-proof now, as the device just received c...

Facebook has largely been shut out of China since 2009, but that isn't stopping it from getting involved in the country... albeit in very roundabout ways. The New York Times has learned that Facebook released a photo sharing app in China, Colorful Ba...

neutrino38 warns that iOS 10 includes a significant change "overlooked by the general public":
It deprecates an API that is crucial for VoIP and other instant messaging applications that enable keeping one socket active despite the fact that the application would run in the background. As a replacement, developers need to use PushKit: when an incoming call is to be forwarded to an iOS VoIP client, the VoIP infrastructure needs to:

- withold the call
- contact Apple push infrastructure using a proprietary protocol to wake up the client app remotely
- wait for the application to reconnect to the infrastructure and release the call when it is ready

This "I know better than you" approach is meant to further optimize battery life on iOS devices by avoiding the use of resources by apps running in background. It has also the positive effect of forcing developers to switch to a push model and remove all periodic pollings that ultimately use mobile data and...

Just a few years ago, Studio Ghibli's future was in the air after co-founder and legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki (supposedly) retired. The place is about to be jumping again, however, as the studio announced that it has re-opened to start productio...

Apple's MacBook Pro lineup was recently updated with faster processors and more affordable configurations, but choosing the best model for your needs can be a tough decision. AppleInsider brings some clarity to the situation, helping you narrow down your choices.

Artificial intelligence isn't just good at playing Go -- it can also emerge victorious in the eSports arena. The Elon Musk-backed OpenAI team has developed a machine learning system that has beaten "many" of the best pro Dota 2 players in one-on-one...

In this week’s top stories: iPhone 8 leaks continue, Apple releases new betas for iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, we outline the products Apple still has to unveil this year, and more. Read on for all of this week’s news…

As rumors suggested earlier this month, SoundCloud has officially confirmed that it has secured investments from The Raine Group and Temasek. The company outlined the investments in a blog post, while it also announced that former Vimeo executive Kerry Trainor will be taking over as CEO…

With the launch of the iPad Pro, Apple unveiled its new Smart Connector technology to allow accessory makers to more seamlessly integrate with the device. Two years after the first iPad Pro’s release, however, the Smart Connector hasn’t necessarily gained a whole lot of traction. A new report from Fast Company this week offers some insight into Apple’s efforts to have accessory makers adopt the Smart Connector…

Ian Wyatt doesn't remember the moment he lost half of his thumb. He was 1 year old, sitting in his family's driveway against the side of an exercise bike while his 7-year-old brother played with the pedals, pumping them around and around to make the...

The 5K iMac features a great display, but it comes with no built in input options for connecting external media sources like gaming consoles. Yet, there is a way to play gaming consoles like Nintendo Switch and PS4 on the iMac’s display. By wielding the Elgato Game Capture HD60 S external capture device, it’s easy to direct video output from you favorite gaming console to your iMac’s display.

Normally thought of for its capturing abilities, the HD60 S, is headlined by its superior low-latency properties. The low latency makes the HD60 S an ideal solution for displaying the Nintendo Switch in full screen at up to 1080p at 60 fps. It’s not perfect,...

There’s a lot happening in the world of Apple news this week. Following are the hottest articles for the week of July 30-August 4.

Apple must be cooking up some interesting products in its secret labs. The company spending on research and development totaled $2.9 billion for the third fiscal quarter that ended on July 1, rising 15% year-over-year compared to a revenue gain of 7% for the same period, reports the Wall Street Journal. This brought the tech giant’s R&D spending to $11.2 billion for the previous 12 months — about 5% of the company’s revenue for the period.

Friday August 11

Vizio has been adding streaming apps to its smart TVs these past few weeks, including Netflix and Amazon Video. The latest addition to its streaming apps collection? Google Play Movies & TV. The company is making the app available on its high-end...

Leaks about the "iPhone 8" became a flood, perhaps the most important one suggesting that the phone will indeed ship in September, alongside a "7s" and "7s Plus." It was also a record week for Apple on the stock market, as its shares briefly topped $160 apiece.

Some of the world's best Dota 2 players are doing battle at Valve's The International esports tournament, but they may need some more practice when they get home. That's because the company just announced it will add two more characters soon in its "...

I’ve used a handful of NLEs on macOS, and each has their strength, but Final Cut Pro X gets so many of the little things right that my appreciation for the app grows a little bit each time I use it.

Final Cut Pro X may not be the most powerful way to edit videos, but it blends ease-of-use with power user features like no other app in its class. One such example of this graceful balance can be seen by observing the app’s many media management functions. Have a look at our hands-on video walkthrough for more details.

As the fall sports seasons draw closer, we're also getting more information about the fall sports games. NBA 2K18 has highlighted its position as the dominant hoops game -- and squelched the release of NBA Live 18's demo -- by drip feeding tidbits li...

Software Updates via MacUpdate

Alfred 3.4.1 - Quick launcher for apps a...

Alfred is an award-winning productivity application for OS X. Alfred saves you time when you search for files online or on your Mac. Be more productive with hotkeys, keywords, and file actions at... Read more

Maintenance 2.2.7 - System maintenance u...

Maintenance is a system maintenance and cleaning utility. It allows you to run miscellaneous tasks of system maintenance:
Check the status of the hard disk
Repair permissions
Run periodic scripts... Read more

NeoOffice 2017 - Mac-tailored, OpenOffic...

NeoOffice is a complete office suite for OS X. With NeoOffice, users can view, edit, and save OpenOffice documents, PDF files, and most Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.
NeoOffice 3.x... Read more

SyncTwoFolders 2.2.4 - Syncs two user-sp...

SyncTwoFolders simply synchronizes two folders. It supports synchronization across mounted network drives and it is a possibility to run a simulation showing in a log what will be done.
Please visit... Read more

Hopper Disassembler 4.2.13- - Binary dis...

Hopper Disassembler is a binary disassembler, decompiler, and debugger for 32- and 64-bit executables. It will let you disassemble any binary you want, and provide you all the information about its... Read more

iFFmpeg 6.4.3 - Convert multimedia files...

iFFmpeg is a comprehensive media tool to convert movie, audio and media files between formats. The FFmpeg command line instructions can be very hard to master/understand, so iFFmpeg does all the hard... Read more

Firefox 55.0.2 - Fast, safe Web browser.

Firefox offers a fast, safe Web browsing experience. Browse quickly, securely, and effortlessly. With its industry-leading features, Firefox is the choice of Web development professionals and casual... Read more

FileZilla 3.27.1 - Fast and reliable FTP...

FileZilla (ported from Windows) is a fast and reliable FTP client and server with lots of useful features and an intuitive interface.
Version 3.27.1:
Fixed Vulnerabilities:
Change client... Read more

Merlin Project 4.2.7 - $289.00

Merlin Project is the leading professional project management software for OS X.
If you plan complex projects on your Mac, you won’t get far with a simple list of tasks. Good planning raises... Read more

Dashlane 4.8.4 - Password manager and se...

Dashlane is an award-winning service that revolutionizes the online experience by replacing the drudgery of everyday transactional processes with convenient, automated simplicity - in other words,... Read more

Latest Forum Discussions

War Wings is the newest project from well-established game maker Miniclip. It's a World War II aerial dogfighting game with loads of different airplane models to unlock and battle.
The game offers plenty of single player and multiplayer action. We... | Read more »

How to win every 2v2 battle in Clash Roy...

2v2 is coming back to Clash Royale in a big way. Although it's only been available for temporary periods of time, 2v2 has seen a hugely positive fan response, with players clamoring for more team-based gameplay.
Soon we'll get yet another taste of... | Read more »

Roll to Win with Game of Dice’s new upda...

Joycity’s hit Game of Dice gets a big new update this week, introducing new maps, mechanics, and even costumes.
The update sets players loose on an exciting new map, The Cursed Tower, that allows folks to use special Runes mid-match. If you feel... | Read more »

Bottom of the 9th (Games)

Bottom of the 9th 1.0.1
Device: iOS iPhone
Category: Games
Price: $4.99, Version: 1.0.1 (iTunes)
Description:
Play the most exciting moment of baseball in this fast-paced dice and card game!
| Read more »

The best apps for viewing the solar ecli...

If you somehow missed the news, many parts of the United States will be witness to a total solar eclipse on August 21 for the first time in over 90 years. It'll be possible to see the eclipse in at least some capacity throughout the continental U... | Read more »

The 5 best mobile survival games

Games like ARK: Survival Evolved and Conan Exiles have taken the world of gaming by storm. The market is now flooded with hardcore survival games that send players off into the game's world with nothing but maybe the clothes on their back.
Never... | Read more »

Supercell has been teasing fans with 2v2 windows that allow players to team up for limited periods of time. The Summer of 2v2 was just this past July, but players are already clamoring for more of that sweet, sweet team-based action.
The fans have... | Read more »

The best deals on the App Store this wee...

It seems like the week's only just started, and yet here we are with a huge pile of discounted games to sort through. There are some real doozies on sale this week. We're talking some truly stellar titles. Let's take a look at four of the best... | Read more »

The iOS community is in late summer holding mode awaiting the September arrival of the iPhone 8 and iOS 11. iOS 11 public betas have been available for months — number six was released this week —... Read more

Samsung Electronics Launches New Portable SSD...

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. has announced the launch of Samsung Portable SSD T5 – its newest portable solid state drive (PSSD) that raises the bar for the performance of external memory... Read more

TrendForce Reports YoY Gain of 3.6% for 2Q17...

Market research firm TrendForce reports that the global notebook shipments for this second quarter registered a sequential quarterly increase of 5.7% and a year-on-year increase of 3.6%, totaling 39.... Read more

Amazon has new 2017 13″ 2.3GHz/128GB Silver MacBook Pro on sale today for $100 off MSRP including free shipping. Their price is the lowest available for this model from any reseller:
– 13″ 2.3GHz/... Read more

WaterField Unveils Collaboratively-Designed,...

In collaboration with customers and seasoned travelers, San Francisco maker WaterField Designs set out to create the preeminent carry-on system to improve the experience of frequent fliers. The... Read more

Miya Notes Mac-Client for Google Keep (Launch...

MacPlus Software has announced te launch of Miya Notes for Google Keep 1.0, a powerful Mac-client for Google Keep. Millions of people use Google Keep on their phones and online, but a convenient Mac... Read more

Apple refurbished iMacs available starting at...

Apple has previous-generation Certified Refurbished 2015 21″ & 27″ iMacs available starting at $849. Apple’s one-year warranty is standard, and shipping is free. The following models are... Read more

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